LII. THE GREAT ESCAPE
"Jug, you won't believe the story my mom told Dels and I last night." Betty says as she jumps off the ladder leading down the bunker I following as I now make my way down the ladder and into the bunker.
"Jug, what are you doing?"
"Sweet Pea? Fangs? Toni, Cheryl? You guys aren't-"
"It's all making sense. All of this is becoming clear." Betty and I look at each other confused. "The game, the Gargoyle King. I'm on Level Three, but it's only a matter of time until I ascend. And I get to meet him."
"Ok but does he or does he not sound like a total crazy man?" I mutter to Betty.
"Yeah a bit." Betty mutters as the two of us look at the five of them confused, concerned and slightly scared.
"A bit? Betty his eyes twitching."
-
"So my dad played G&G in high school, huh? Of course, it makes so much sense." Jughead says touching his chin. After telling Fangs, Sweet Pea, Cheryl and Toni to go home we began to told Jughead the exact story Alcie had told us.
"All of our parents did." I answer tapping my finger on the table.
"And they swore each other to secrecy, but, Jug, while they were playing, one of them killed their principal back then, Felix Featherhead, either accidentally or on purpose, but, he had blue lips."
"Just like Ben and Dilton..."
"Which is why all of this has to stop..."
"Betty, the fact that our parents played G&G just corroborates what I've come to believe, that we have been playing this game for a lot longer than we know. And off-board. Think about it, the Hot Dog rescue, what was that, if not a quest? The Serpents, the Ghoulies, what are they? If not warring tribes, might as well call us orcs and goblins."
"Okay, you're not making any sense." I say waving my hands around stopping him from talking all his nonsense.
"And you're also not listening to anything that we are saying. We have nine suspects that are all real, tangible leads. One of our parents could be a murderer, so let's go investigate them." Betty says
"You're not seeing the big picture. 'Eldervair' the realm of Gryphons and Gargoyles is an anagram for Riverdale. The whole game is an analog for Riverdale. The game only exists in Riverdale. That's why we couldn't find it on the web."
"Okay, well, that is a weird coincidence.What about your friends, Delia from Chicago you said people there played it?"
"Yeah. I check my sources see what I could find about it."
"It's not a coincidence, it's all connected. It's all one big narrative that's still being written and played."
"Okay, you need to calm down," I say placing a hand on the bridge of my nose.
"Jug. Who's telling you this?" Betty asks worried placing a hand on top of his.
"The game. The more I play, the more familiar I become with Eldervair and its rules, the more I see the patterns. The more I understand him or her, and how we'll catch the Gargoyle King. This game is their psychology. It's their imagination. It's how they view Riverdale."
"My mom was right, this game messes with your head."
"Clearly."
"No, no. This is the clarity I needed, this is the truth. G&G's myths, they are our stories. They're our parents' stories. Simple logic, Betty. How do you catch a Game Master? You become a Game Master yourself. That's what I'm doing. And in the end, when I prove that I'm at his level, I'll come face to face with him."
"Fine. As long as you're safe down here, that's one less thing for me to worry about. So you keep playing. I'm going to go figure this out, starting with our nine suspects." Betty says standing up.
"Delia you going to help?" Betty asks
"Yeah of course." I say standing up looking at Jughead before walking out with Betty.
"Okay so who should we start with?" I ask her as we close the lid of the bunker and walk around the woods.
"I was thinking you could find out more of what happened in Chicago maybe it has some clues that could help us connect us to the killer?"
"Alright I'll see what I can find."
-
"You idiots put that down before you stab someone's eye out or before I stab out your eyes." I threaten taken one of the arrows from Fangs hand.
"What's going on here, fellas?" Jughead asks I turn and see him and Toni and Cheryl walk over.
"Toni and I were in her tent having a..rendezvous..." Cheryl starts.
"When this arrow shot right through it. Three feet to the left and I'd be missing an eye right now."
"Yeah, well, we were practicing our aim for the next quest."
"We wanna go off-board, take G&G to the real world."
"I did not come here for us to talk about this stupid, crazy game you guys decided to get into."
"It's not stupid." Fangs says I roll my eyes.
"We heard other groups were doing it.-"
"Other groups? As in plural as in multiple groups?"
"Yes."
"Tough. I'm the Game Master so I decide when we go off-board."
"You're the Serpent King, Jones. Isn't that enough?"
"I've got a suggestion! Why don't you all just take a deep breath and oh yeah go home! You all carry on playing this game you'll end up dead." I say crossing my arms all of them looking at me.
"I'm going home. I hope you all have fun or whatever this game gives you that life doesn't." I say before turning away Sweet Pea being the only one who called my name but he doesn't follow after me, none of them do.
The area is in the middle of the woods and I never really walk out without someone with me especially at night so I become very wary.
It's been ten minutes and I've heard more than a few branches snap and leaves begin stepping on. So I currently have this sharpish branch I found on the floor for protection. I'm seriously considering getting one of those pocket knifes Sweet Pea told me I would apparently need and I thought it was because I am now a serpent and I'll need it to protect myself from like revel gangs but no no I need it because this town is full of fucked up issues and I'll probably die from one of them.
"Okay..whoever's out there come out!" I yell looking around scanning the area. I stand still trying to make no noise at all. No noise. No nothing.
I sigh before carry on walking thinking it's just my mind and it's stupid tricks. Then out of no where a hand is place over my mouth and and arm is wrap around the front of my body holding me down.
"You move and I'll shoot you." I feel as the could end on the gun touch's the side of my head. My heart pounding through my chest.
"The money. Give it to me now." I go to speak but relies his hand is over my mouth. He removes it slow and I take a gasp of air.
"Its..it's not here." I breathe out he grunts in annoyance.
"Then where is it." He asks talking right into my ear as he does I shut my eyes tight really fearing for my life right now.
"It's uh..it's at the edge of town...-by the sign...In a brief case.." I say he then immediately puts his hand back over my mouth.
"Right. Now I'm going to let you go and I swear to you if you lied to me I'll kill your dad your brother and your little friends first so you can watch as they bleed out from ear to ear and then..oh and then I'll kill you." He says in a sickly tone before shoving me forward.
"Now go and don't even think about telling anyone about this." He says pointing the gun at me I nod and start fast walking in the direction that lead out of the woods.
-
"Hey Dels how was your night?" Dad asks as I walk into the house and towards the kitchen where he was setting out dinner.
"Fine. Uh Dad if it's alright with you I'm going to skip dinner I'm not really feeling too hungry." I answer.
"Are you sure? Hey, What's up? You seem shaken up."
"Nothing just not hungry I had something while I was with the serpents." I say he nods before kissing my head.
"Alright." I smile
"Goodnight dad." I say before rushing upstairs into my bathroom and throwing up into the toilet. I lean against the wall as I sit on the floor looking up. All of the food I had eaten today now in the toilet.
I wish I knew why but it just thinking about food make me nauseous maybe because of today's following events or maybe the feeling I have been feeling since I got back from New York of being watched constantly is a result of this. Who knows.
-
After a day of preparation and planning our plan to help Archie escape this illegal boxing club game that the prison had put him up to. During his game Veronica, Reggie and Josie who are all in disguise, are going to throw some smoke bombs that had been in these canned drinks. Then Archie will slip into the gutter and make his way through the pipes.
Right now Betty and I are making our way over to the cars that are owned by the prison to damage the engine in a way that allows them not to go anywhere. We both turn as we hear commotion and yells of orders coming this way.
"Betty you need to go." I say shutting the booth.
"Okay be safe."
"Yeah you too." I say she nods before running off to where Kevin is waiting with a serpent jacket on and a helmet to make it seem as though Betty is driving away with him.
I pull a few more strings in the last two cars before managing to slip away just as they make there way over here. My job now is to go unlock the sewage gate so Archie can get out through this way.
I run through the woods going through the quickest route in hopes I don't get caught and I don't leave Archie waiting too long. I begin to walk but hear footsteps near me so I begin to walk faster and take an more hidden route I'm hopes I'll lose whoever is following me.
I finally get to the end of the pipes and notice how big the lock is and the key V had given me was not going to cut it. I sigh in annoyance throwing the key away and looking around at my surrounds for something I could break it with.
I pick up a rock next to me a hit it around three times breaking the lock in two. I smile widely as I then quickly remove the lock. I go to pull the gate open but stop at the sudden noise of wood snapping.
I whip my head over to my right and see a someone with their hood up looking directly at me from a distance. I pull a confused look before standing up and walking closer and closer to get a better look.
"You look-" just as I go to say something they bolt.
"Hey!" I yell going to run after them but look back at the pipes then back in the direction they went.
"Betty will be here soon." I mutter as reassurance before running as fast as I can in the direction they went trying to catch up to whoever they could be.
They are quite slow as I manage to catch up to them a bit. "Hey! Stop!" I yell I'm not to sure why I'm chasing them other than the fact that they ran away when I looked over at them.
They trip over a massive log face planting right onto the floor but the quickly get up not quick enough as I grab hold of their wrist restricting them from Turing around.
"Who are you?" I ask as I squint trying to see if I can identify them by there eyes and body structure. They remain frozen before sighing and ranking the hand in holding off me making me look at them confused as they then remove there mask.
"Liam? What the hell?!"
"Uh hi." He says doing a small wave.
"What are you- Why did you- how are you- why?"
"Look I can explain, I came here to get some my share of the will."
"Why did your run then?"
"I came here secretly I didn't want anyone to know especially all the people who knew my parents and got hurt by them. You read my note didn't you?"
"Yeah but it doesn't match up so I'm not sure I believe it or you." I say he sighs I go to say something but notice his on hand remain behind his back in a secretive manner as he fidgets in his space.
"What's behind your back?" I ask gesturing towards it with my finger.
"I-Oh nothing." He says hesitantly. I scoff before grabbing his hand and yanking it forward revealing a brief case. The brief case that had the money I found stored in. I shove it down and look around.
"What are you doing with this?" I whisper
"Look the fact you know what this is immediately tells me you need to leave it alone-"
"No Liam. Because you took this my family, my friend and then eventually I will end up dead so you go put this back." I demand still whisper.
"No. Look Delia you have no idea what your dealing with-"
"Wait guys I hear something I think they went this way!"
"Crap."
"What's going on?" Liam asks I turn and look at him before groaning grabbing his arm and dragging him around to a boulder where the two of us crouch under.
"Delia-" I place my hand over his mouth as the officers run over before scanning the area.
"Clear!" One of them yells before they make there way through another end of the forest. I remove my hand from his mouth before taking a deep breath.
"What the hell is going on?" He whispers
"Look as you can see I'm already dealing with a fair bit and you taking this is adding to it so what I'm going to need you to do is put this the hell back where you found it then go home." I say getting up brushing my hands off from the dirt and beginning to make my way out of this part of the woods.
"But then again Delia you have no idea what your dealing with so if I were you I would just-...." Just as he goes to say something he stops for a few seconds.
"Your going to what Liam? What could you possibly do?" I ask sarcastically after a minute or so as I turn to look over at him only to see him now laying on the floor.
"Shit." I say rushing over and seeing some sort of dart hitting his neck. Maybe a tranquilliser. I look around to see where the person who shot him is but there is no one around. I get up and go over to where I feel as though there is quite a few movement. I prepare myself before looking behind the tree only to see nothing but a paper. I pull it off the tree.
Maybe next time I will make it permanent.
I scrunch the paper and hit my hand on the tree in annoyance and anger. I walk over and pull the dart out from his neck. Knowing that he is going to be unconscious for at least 30 minutes.
I stand him up groaning at how shockingly heavy he is before swinging an arm around my neck and dragging him.
Taking me five minutes to get maybe five feet from where we were due to me dropping him a few times.
-
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere."
"Where's somewhere?"
"Somewhere!"
"But should I even trust you anymore from what I experienced you allowed a dart to get shot at me!"
"I didn't allow a- Urg! You know what I'll bloody let it happen again if it means you'll shut the hell up!" I yell before turning back around facing the right direction to see the tree house.
"Now don't you even think about coming out of here. Once you go in no coming out you clear?" I ask as I remove the lid
"But what if I-"
"No."
"You didn't even-"
"Nope."
"I-"
"No! Now be quite. I shouldn't even be showing you this place." I say muttering the last bit.
"It's a treehouse." He says in a 'duh' like tone.
"It's a treehouse." I mimic as I move around a few things and clear off the sofa.
"You can sleep here and yeah."
"What about food? Water? Toilet? Light? Heating?"
"There's some canned beans over there. Uh there's a a bottle of water over there. You can pee in that but for the love of god do not leave it in here and let the whole place stink of your pee. You can get light from the windows and I'd rather you not draw attention to this place and there are two matches in here I would use it wise because the first try never works out."
"Wow well isn't this fantastic." He says sarcastically as he falls back into the sofa. "Hey."
"Yes?"
"What did you do to your cut of of the money?"
"Um nothing actually."
"Really?" He asks shocked.
"Well don't act too surprised." I say looking at him up and down in disgust.
"I just thought you'd waste it or something."
"Okay could we maybe not talk about this?"
"This place sucks." He mutters but I hear him
"Oh I would so take you back to your hotel where this man hunting you down can beat the absolute shut out of you but I'd rather your daughter not grow up without a father no matter how much of a dick he is." I say turning to leave.
"And don't touch anything. Invasion of privacy and all that." I mutter the last bit before going down the stairs.
-
I walk towards the bunker which is not far from where I had left Liam. As I do someone from behind bumps into me causing me to stumble forward but I mange to catch my balance before I could fall flat on my face.
"What the- Archie!" I say smiling wide before pulling him into a tight hug him immediately hugging back lifting me up slightly.
"I missed you."
"Same ding dong." He say I pull away immediately getting a whiff of the pungent smell of all things disgusting.
"Shit."
"What?"
"No you smell like actually shit." I say pinching my nose to block the smell.
"Oh shut up." He says swinging his arm around my shoulder.
"Isn't Veronica meant to be here and the others?" I ask as we both walk towards the bunker.
"Yeah they are driving around I had to jump out to get away from the cars following us." He says I nod understanding. He helps me lift off the lid and like the idiot he is instead of going step by step on the ladder jumps down causing him to crash onto the floor.
"What an idiot." I mutter.
"Archie! Delia." Jughead says looking up at me from the bottom as he crouches next to Archie.
"Ow." I hear Archie groan in pain.
-
"There you go." I say after placing to big plaster on his sides as he lays on the bed. Everyone now here. Archie looks down at them before he gives me a look.
"What? Do you want me to kiss it better or something?" I ask he chuckles shaking his head.
"No no. Thanks Dels. Thank you all." Archie says everyone nods in a way of saying your welcome.
"What happened Arch?" Betty asks
"It was Joaquin. He stabbed me. I think the Warden made him do it."
"Twice? Did he not think once was enough?" I ask slightly shocked.
"No this one...it was weird. When I came out of the sewers and a guy was standing there waiting for me. He stabbed me with a pocket knife then bolted."
"This guy, what did he look like?" Veronica asks
"Uh tall, dark clothing, white male...Umm..-"
"A scar on his left eye?" I ask
"Yeah.."
"Bold?"
"Yeah..."
"Blue eyes?"
"No brown."
"Hmm wrong person I guess." I say shrugging before standing up and walking over to one of the chairs.
"It's bloody close enough Delia who is the guy?" Reggie asks
"It wouldn't be his eyes are bright blue not something you can miss." I answer shaking my head. That was a lie. Thanks to bloody Liam my brother had to pay the price. The conversation going over everyone's head which I'm pleased about.
"Guys, where the hell am I?" Archie asks taking in all his surroundings.
"You're in Dilton Doiley's bunker."
"The only people who know it exists are in this room. Right now, it's the safest place for you in Riverdale. I promise."
"Dilton Doiley has a bunker?"
"We'll catch you up to speed once you're rested, okay? Archie. What is that on your hip?" I lean forward to get a better view and see some sort of brand on his hip.
"Courtesy of Warden Norton, to put me in my place after I tried to escape the first time."
"The Warden branded you and ordered Joaquin to stab you? And possibly this other guy too?"
"Jug..."
"Can I have everyone's attention?" Veronica asks everyone having there eyes on Veronica.
"Since my father saw me, I need to go do some damage control on the home front. But, someone needs to stay with Archie at all times.-"
"-Ronnie, I don't need anyone...-"
"-Yes, you do." Veronica says back
"You go ahead, Vee. Jughead and I will take the first shift."
"I'll join too." I say
"Excellent. Now, equally important, everyone in this room is part of a pact. From this moment on, no one knows where this bunker is. No one was involved with that breakout, and no one is aware of Archie's whereabouts. To the grave. Capisce?" Everyone nods only for there to be a loud noise coming from the other end of the bunker.
The sound of the lid opening all of us looking around. Thinking quickly I grab one of the blankets and cover Archie and gesture for Toni, Cheryl, Kevin and Fangs to sit across it so he is more hidden.
"Who's there?" Jughead calls out Veronica glaring at him.
"What?" He whispers to her. Just as he does the mysterious person walks in revealing himself as the idiot I should have know, Liam.
"Fuck me." I say in annoyance planning my hand on my forehead.
"Um hi!" Liam says waving at me aggressively like I had just forgot about him or something.
"Who are you?" Sweet Pea asks Defensivly.
"You absolutely idiot. I told you to stay in the treehouse and you didn't I should have known better that you would follow me." I say scoffing
"Hey! And you were acting shady so I thought maybe you were hiding something then I remembered but not the point. Also why the hell would you throw it in the river-"
"How did you-"
"I followed you we already classified this!"
"For the fishes to eat away or for it to disintegrate in the water I don't know! Urg! I should have left you there on the forest floor to get eaten by fox's. Fox's!" I say pointing at him aggressively before squeezing my hands into tight fist.
"Um I'm sorry to interrupt but what's going on here?" Fangs asks raising his hand.
"Hi everyone. You must all be Delia's friends. I do wonder how you all put up with her."
"Oh my- do you even shut up?" I ask rhetorically pinching the bridge of my nose. "Don't listen to a word he says."
"I'm so confused right now." Toni mutters yo Cheryl who nods in agreement.
"Outside." I say pointing up. "Uh now!" He rolls his eyes before making his way up the ladder.
"What the hell is going on?" Sweet Pea asks
"You guys remember when I went to New York to look for Ruth's son?"
"Yeah." Most of them say as they all nod.
"That idiot is him. And he got himself into an issue so here I was giving him somewhere to stay and the idiot decided to follow me here."
"So your protecting him?" Veronica asks
"Ha protecting? No no no no. Not him. Never." I deny laughing a little as I shake my head.
"Guys can I come out it's a bit hot under here?" Archie asks in a hush tone everyone looks over at me for an answer.
"Yeha sure. Liam's a backstabbing, lying, cheating, idiot but he wouldn't rat you out." I say everyone then looks at me hesitantly.
"Trust me it will kill him more if he did rat you out. Literally." I say muttering the last word before they remove the blanket from his head.
"He doesn't know about what happened to Archie and he will be gone from here by tomorrow. Well I hope." I say before walking through the tunnel to go up.
"Why don't you ever listen to me." I say with every word I hit his arm.
"Um ow!"
"I try to protect you and you decide to follow me?! Do you know the kind of danger you put my friends in?"
"I didn't-"
"And thanks to you Archie got stab by, I know you know who.-"
"The hooded guy."
"The hooded guy so what your going to do is tell me where you put the money that I know you scooped out from the river then take this and get the hell out of this town." I say taking out a hundred dollars and shoving it into his hand.
"Why-I can't take this." He says
"Oh my Liam just take it. You know your way back to the treehouse I'm trusting you'll stay there till later?"
"Yeah okay. What do you mean later?"
"Just to make sure you don't skip around town sight seeing again I'll be staying there too, which trust me, I'm dreading more than you are." I say before turning back towards the bunker.
"Adios." I say waving he waves back slightly confused. I roll my eyes before shutting the bunker door and climbing down.
"Wait Delia." I look up as the lid opens again.
"Yes?"
"It's at the treehouse. I was going to leave with it but I couldn't. I'm sorry I thought about it but your right."
"Thank you Liam or you know whatever." He smiles before shutting the lid.
-
"Hey Dels wait up." I hear Sweet Pea says as he waves Fangs goodbye and walks over to me.
"I'll see you two later." I say to Toni and Cheryl before walking Sweet Pea walking beside me.
"Hey what's up?"
"With everything crazy going on I thought I'd walk you home- or to this so called tree house your heading to."
"What do you mean 'so called' ? That's what it is isn't it?"
"I don't know just a bit odd how I've never been to this 'treehouse'." I roll my eyes.
"It's treehouse not 'treehouse' and I would have taken you but I...I..hmm I don't know I guess I didn't think much of it."
"Well how's my chance to see this infamous treehouse I expect it too be amazing."
-
"Wow. Well this was quite anti climatic." Sweet Pea says as he gets to the top of the tree house.
"I told you not to get too excited." I reply as I finally get up from the staircase before shutting it.
"This feels as though it could tumble any minute now." Sweet Pea answers as he slowly walks around.
"Trust me if this thing were to break I would not be standing this tall on here let alone with two other people."
"I don't know Princess this feels a bit..shaken."
"Okay quit being a baby." I say walking over to where I see Liam asleep on the sofa.
"What are all these?" I look over and see him looking at a violet box.
"Oh they're just pictures of when I was a kid. There's a few in there of Archie and Betty and Jughead too." I answer walking over to him as he opens the lid and begins to look through. We both laugh at the funny ones and look in awe at the cute ones. The night drifting away and so do we.
-
I flutter my eyes open the moon light hitting the panels of wood on the treehouse floor exposing all the tiny cracks. I move my eyes around and move my head slightly only to relies that Sweet Pea is asleep next to me. By instinct he wraps his arm around my waist pulling me closer towards him. I smile lightly before burying my head into his chest and falling back into a soundless sleep...
A/N ANDDDDDDD WE ARE BACK!
So sorry for the wait I know it's been soooo long and I truly am sorry. I couldn't get into my account and so I had to email them a and it takes them a few days to reply to each email so I was waiting for a while but everything is all good.
While away I actually did edit almost all of ACT ONE (all exit the last two) so I'm thinking about publishing them let me know if you think I should. they are a lot less cringey and make a bit more sense than before lol ✨
Anyways thank you for all the votes and views I have got and got to see when I logged back in so thank you❤️
Anyways till the next chapter peeps peace out😶🤪